Milne Barbour
Encyclopedia
Sir John Milne Barbour, 1st Baronet JP
, DL
(1868 – 3 October 1951) was a Northern Irish
politician and baronet
. As a member of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
he was styled The Right Honourable Sir Milne Barbour.
, County Antrim
, he was the son of John Doherty Barbour
. He was educated at Elstree School
, Harrow School
, Brasenose College, Oxford
, and Darmstadt
, Germany
. The members of his family were wealthy linen
manufacturers, owners of William Barbour Linen Thread Company of Hilden - the largest linen thread manufacturers in the world , in business he was Chairman of the family company, which exists today in the same factory as Barbour Campbell Threads.
for County Antrim
from 1921-1929 and then for South Antrim from 1929 until his death in 1951. In 1921, he was appointed Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, and then entered Craigavon's
Cabinet as Minister of Commerce
in 1937 (where he was perceived as "wrong, inept and palsied") and was promoted, aged 72, to Minister of Finance
.
He also acted as High Sheriff of Armagh
in 1905 and as High Sheriff of Down
in 1907. He was created a Baronet, of Hilden, in the County of Antrim, in 1943. He also served as President of the Belfast
Chamber of Commerce
in 1911, as a member of Belfast Harbour Commissioners from 1914 to 1950, as President of the Royal Victoria Hospital
, Belfast and as President of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society from 1925 to 1930 and from 1931 until his death. He also sat on the Senate of Queen’s University, Belfast.
, USA in 1873); Lady Barbour died at their home, Conway House, Dunmurry
, in 1910. The couple had three daughters and one son, John Milne Jnr., whose aeroplane went missing whilst flying over the Irish sea
in 1937. John was a civilian pilot (a former competitor in the King's Cup Race
) who would fly home at the weekends from the Barbour factory in Glasgow
, where he worked during the week. Barbour's sister, Helen, married Thomas Andrews
, architect of the Titanic. Barbour was a Freemason. He was described by diarist Lillian Dean, later Lady Spender (wife of Sir Wilfrid Spender
) as "a curious man who looks like a stage Mephistopheles but is given to preaching in dissenting chapels." A deeply religious man throughout his life he served on as a Member of the General Synod
of the Church of Ireland
. presented the East Window to Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn
, in memory of his wife and son. The baronetcy became extinct upon his death, Barbour was predeceased by his son.
Barbour Memorial Playing Fields and the Sir Milne Barbour Memorial Garden, both in Lisburn
, are named in his honour. A prize cup at the boat club of Queen's University, Belfast is also named in his honour.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(1868 – 3 October 1951) was a Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
politician and baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
. As a member of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Privy Council of Northern Ireland was a formal body of advisors to the sovereign and was a vehicle for the monarch's prerogative powers in Northern Ireland. It was modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....
he was styled The Right Honourable Sir Milne Barbour.
Background and education
Born in LisburnLisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, he was the son of John Doherty Barbour
John Doherty Barbour
John Dougherty Barbour JP DL was an Irish industrialist and politician. His middle name is sometimes written as "Doherty."...
. He was educated at Elstree School
Elstree School
Elstree School is an English preparatory school based in Woolhampton, near Reading in Berkshire.-1848-1938 in Elstree, Herts:As its name suggests, the school was originally founded in 1848 in Elstree, Hertfordshire, at Hill House on Elstree Hill, an 18th-century Grade II Listed Building...
, Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
, and Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The members of his family were wealthy linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
manufacturers, owners of William Barbour Linen Thread Company of Hilden - the largest linen thread manufacturers in the world , in business he was Chairman of the family company, which exists today in the same factory as Barbour Campbell Threads.
Career
In politics, he served as a Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for County Antrim
Antrim (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Antrim was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned seven MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
from 1921-1929 and then for South Antrim from 1929 until his death in 1951. In 1921, he was appointed Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, and then entered Craigavon's
James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon
James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, PC, PC , was a prominent Irish unionist politician, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland...
Cabinet as Minister of Commerce
Minister of Commerce (Northern Ireland)
The Minister of Commerce was a member of the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in the Parliament of Northern Ireland which governed Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1972. The post was combined with that of the Minister of Agriculture until 1925...
in 1937 (where he was perceived as "wrong, inept and palsied") and was promoted, aged 72, to Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (Northern Ireland)
The Minister of Finance was a member of the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in the Parliament of Northern Ireland which governed Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1972...
.
He also acted as High Sheriff of Armagh
High Sheriff of Armagh
The High Sheriff of Armagh is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Armagh. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258...
in 1905 and as High Sheriff of Down
High Sheriff of Down
The High Sheriff of Down is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Down. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judicial importance, he has ceremonial and administrative...
in 1907. He was created a Baronet, of Hilden, in the County of Antrim, in 1943. He also served as President of the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in 1911, as a member of Belfast Harbour Commissioners from 1914 to 1950, as President of the Royal Victoria Hospital
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
The Royal Victoria Hospital is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, Belfast and as President of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society from 1925 to 1930 and from 1931 until his death. He also sat on the Senate of Queen’s University, Belfast.
Personal life
Barbour married Elise Barbour, a distant relative (b. Paterson, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, USA in 1873); Lady Barbour died at their home, Conway House, Dunmurry
Dunmurry
Dunmurry is an urban townland, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Located between Belfast and Lisburn, it was once a rural village, but is now within the Greater Belfast conurbation...
, in 1910. The couple had three daughters and one son, John Milne Jnr., whose aeroplane went missing whilst flying over the Irish sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
in 1937. John was a civilian pilot (a former competitor in the King's Cup Race
King's Cup Race
The King's Cup Race is an annual British handicapped cross-country air race, first contested on 8 September 1922. The event was open to British pilots only, but that did include members of the Commonwealth....
) who would fly home at the weekends from the Barbour factory in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, where he worked during the week. Barbour's sister, Helen, married Thomas Andrews
Thomas Andrews (shipbuilder)
Thomas Andrews, Jr. was an Irish businessman and shipbuilder; managing director and head of the draughting department for the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. Andrews was the shipbuilder in charge of the plans for the ocean liner...
, architect of the Titanic. Barbour was a Freemason. He was described by diarist Lillian Dean, later Lady Spender (wife of Sir Wilfrid Spender
Wilfrid Spender
Sir Wilfrid Bliss Spender, KCB, DSO, MC was an army officer, colonial administrator and civil servant - being responsible for laying the foundations for the civil service of Northern Ireland. He served as Secretary to the Northern Ireland Cabinet, 1921-1925, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of...
) as "a curious man who looks like a stage Mephistopheles but is given to preaching in dissenting chapels." A deeply religious man throughout his life he served on as a Member of the General Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
of the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
. presented the East Window to Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, in memory of his wife and son. The baronetcy became extinct upon his death, Barbour was predeceased by his son.
Barbour Memorial Playing Fields and the Sir Milne Barbour Memorial Garden, both in Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, are named in his honour. A prize cup at the boat club of Queen's University, Belfast is also named in his honour.